Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham get dream transfer green light as Jonathan David makes admission

Jonathan David says he is open to a move to the Premier League despite being in contract talks with Lille. Chelsea were most-strongly linked with the striker this summer but Arsenal and Tottenham were also connected, with Manchester United in the frame too.

The attacker ultimately stayed on in France as Chelsea acquired Joao Felix and Spurs captured Dominic Solanke while Arsenal refrained from signing a centre-forward. Lille president Olivier Letang gave David his blessing in finding a new club over the summer, and so a January exit could yet be on the cards.

The incentive for Lille to tie David down to a short extension would be to retain his market value, with the attacker in the final year of his contract and able to speak to clubs outside of France from January. The player himself has admitted to speaking to several outfits over the summer.

“There were a couple of offers and we just didn’t finish the deal, that’s it,” he told The Athletic. “I spoke to a couple of teams. I spoke with coaches. But ultimately (I) made the decision to stay.”

There is expected to be increased interest in David in the winter window, whether a deal is signed or not. The 24-year-old only finished behind Kylian Mbappe in Ligue 1’s scorers chart, tallying 19 goals, and has netted three times in seven outings so far this term.

Speaking after assisting the equaliser and scoring the winner for Canada in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly win over the United States, David revealed he was speaking to Lille about said contract extension, adding: “We’ll see how that goes.”

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When asked about a potential move away in the future, he detailed: “I’m open to anything. I think obviously the Premier League is regarded as one of the best leagues in the world.

“And for me, it’s not the Premier League or bust. I’m open to anything and every league has its challenges.”